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Pinehold
History Pinehold was settled by Kul Tirans during the resettlement of Ban'diel when Geromus Niall came. The place was founded by a squadron of fantastic sailors, who were former mercenaries or pirates. In Pinehold, sailing was everything. Every child that grew up there learned about it and knew how to sail. One of the leaders of the town, Jace Rhys, liked that the town did not have a set list of rules for people to follow. Because of this, Pinehold attracted many colorful characters. The place became a town of great trade where people who had the goods but were not honorable came to trade to make a living. Over time, Pinehold became a radiant hub of piracy and rebellious people, and this shaped Pinehold's culture. Its geographical location meant it was near swamps, rivers, and these features gave it a particular character itself. During the takeover of the island by Jacob Luxford, the culture of the town quickly caused its own demise and turned it away from favor of the ruling people in Radiance. Many people were forced out because of their connection to Radiance, including almost all of the leaders. The place became a shady, sorrowful town filled with people that showed no compassion to each other. Upon the return of Davrum Niall and the death of Jacob Luxford, Pinehold had no allegiance, but it now is considered "run by the people". In truth, this is false, as a series of trade barons and pirate lords rose up in the chaos to carve out their piece of the world, with the city as their battleground. The most affluent, Baron Wythlin, is a man whose disregard for the populace is only rivaled by his appetite and debauchery. Having come from an old house that had long fallen on a terrible fate, Wythlin's luck is said to have changed tides after disturbing reports over the disappearance of his family. Some claim that their lives were taken due to a fire set in the kitchens of his keep that blazed out of control, but others speak in whispers that the Baron's obsessive fixation with the supernatural and a rising cult known as the Yellow Elders drove him to unspeakable acts. Regardless, the same night, Wythlin's path to power began with a feast. In a matter of months, Wythlin began his unchallenged takeover of the city through populating the Nobles' Court and Grand Lodges with his aristocratic supporters, sending a group of assassins known as the Bloody Gulls to spy for him, paying the local pirates and mercenaries for his own protection, razing several villas throughout the city to serve as temples for the Yellow Elders, and inspiring vagabond and noble alike to engage in the most depraved of acts and to show their supremacy openly, so that they may separate themselves from the rabble below. To further supplement his work, Wythlin openly peddles illegal products, feeds the desires and addictions of his guests and protectors, and thrives from the boost of both prostitution and gambling amidst The Warrens and Dock Town, the two most poverty-stricken sections of Pinehold save the Old Bailey. Within the grounds of the Bailey, a collection of thatched huts and cobbled slums just beyond the first gate into the city, is home to the descendants of the first men of the woodlands who bred with elves, better known as the Forest-Bloods. Though, under the rule of both Jacob Luxford and the Baron, they have been systematically ignored and treated as little more than "sub-human trash" clogging up the gutters of Pinehold. For this reason, he has become a savior to some, even being affectionately called the "Saint of Delights", with Pinehold itself as the "Church of Pleasures" Though the baron has garnered a horrid reputation, and the town itself is considered ruined by many, his words have inspired those remaining within the city to form a system based on anarchy and the expression of one's own will. The common folk, despite despising Wythlin intensely, could not deny this period of chaos allowed the ideals of class to shift, with the dominant who were once poor and abandoned on top, and the weak and coddled who had reigned high now thrown below to serve as stepping stones to the ambitions of the strong. Category:Places Category:Towns Category:Ban'diel Locations